Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D19/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D19/0004—Rigid pallets without side walls
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2203/00—Decoration means, markings, information elements, contents indicators
  • B65D2203/10—Transponders
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00009—Materials
  • B65D2519/00014—Materials for the load supporting surface
  • B65D2519/00034—Plastic
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00009—Materials
  • B65D2519/00049—Materials for the base surface
  • B65D2519/00069—Plastic
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00009—Materials
  • B65D2519/00084—Materials for the non-integral separating spacer
  • B65D2519/00104—Plastic
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
  • B65D2519/00263—Overall construction of the pallet
  • B65D2519/00268—Overall construction of the pallet made of one piece
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
  • B65D2519/00263—Overall construction of the pallet
  • B65D2519/00273—Overall construction of the pallet made of more than one piece
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
  • B65D2519/00283—Overall construction of the load supporting surface
  • B65D2519/00288—Overall construction of the load supporting surface made of one piece
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
  • B65D2519/00283—Overall construction of the load supporting surface
  • B65D2519/00308—Overall construction of the load supporting surface grid type, e.g. perforated plate
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
  • B65D2519/00313—Overall construction of the base surface
  • B65D2519/00318—Overall construction of the base surface made of one piece
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
  • B65D2519/00313—Overall construction of the base surface
  • B65D2519/00328—Overall construction of the base surface shape of the contact surface of the base
  • B65D2519/00333—Overall construction of the base surface shape of the contact surface of the base contact surface having a stringer-like shape
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
  • B65D2519/00398—Overall construction reinforcements
  • B65D2519/00402—Integral, e.g. ribs
  • B65D2519/00407—Integral, e.g. ribs on the load supporting surface
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
  • B65D2519/00398—Overall construction reinforcements
  • B65D2519/00402—Integral, e.g. ribs
  • B65D2519/00412—Integral, e.g. ribs on the base surface

Definitions

• This invention relates to the manufacture of structural products such as pallets from reinforced recycled polymer.
• the invention relates to a pallet of reinforced thermoplastic material and to a method of making a pallet.
• Pallets made of polymeric materials are available, but have historically been unable to compete with the purchase prices of wooden pallets and have thus not found much favour in commerce. There are multiple reasons for the high cost, but these include: high cost of materials; materials with inadequate strength, requiring the use of excessive masses of material; costly manufacturing techniques; and the like.
• the consumer goods include bottles made of PET and high density polyethylene
• HDPE high density polyethylene
• the present invention seeks to address the environmental impact of the use of wooden pallets and the waste of polymeric containers, by the manufacture of pallets from composite materials with optimal mechanical properties, preferably from recycled polymers, in a commercially beneficial manner.
• a pallet of thermoplastic material comprising a deck, a picture frame spaced below the deck and interconnecting blocks extending between the deck and the picture frame, wherein the thermoplastic material is reinforced with fibres and the pallet is a unitary moulding and is made by injection moulding in a single step.
• the picture frame can also be referred to as a "bottom deck”.
• top deck The deck will be at the top of the pallet in use and is hereinafter referred to as a "top deck”, for the sake of clarity, but the word “top” is not to be given a limiting interpretation in this context.
• picture frame and “interconnecting blocks” are to be accorded their ordinary meanings, as used by persons skilled in the art of plastic pallets, but could be interchanged with the terms “crucifix” and “feet” respectively, also used by persons skilled in the art.
• the thermoplastic material may include at least one polyolefin and/or at least one polyester and the polyolefin and/or polyester may be a recycled or reground thermoplastic material.
• the thermoplastic material may optionally further include an impact modifier and/or a flame retardant.
• the pallet may be a heavy duty pallet
• the pallet may have a single injection point disposed on the surface of the top deck or the bottom deck and the injection point may be aligned with one of the interconnecting blocks.
• the injection point may be larger than 10mm in diameter, preferably larger than 30mm and more preferably larger than 50mm in diameter.
• the average length of the glass fibres may be at least 10mm when the thermoplastic material includes a polyolefin.
• the glass fibre content of the thermoplastic material may be between 5 and 45%, by weight.
• the glass fibre content of the thermoplastic material may be between 30% and 45%, by weight when the base polymer is a polyolefin and the glass fibre content may be between 10% and 30%, by weight when the base polymer is a polyester, e.g. PET.
• base polymer refers to a thermoplastic material which makes up the bulk of the thermoplastic material in the pallet, but which can include other polymers, preferably compatible polymers and/or can have other inclusions or additives, such as additives that compatabilize (also known as plasticisers), chemical bonding additives, UV and impact improving agents, rubbers like EVA EPDM or other nitrile rubbers, pigments, functional polymers or reactive polymers that are commonly referred to as polymers that are enhance by adding Maleac anhydride or other anhydride compositions to the polymer mixture, and/or the like.
• the weight of the pallet may be less than 30kg, even if it is a heavy duty pallet.
• the weight of the pallet may be less than 20kg when the base polymer is a polyolefin and the weight of the pallet may be less than 22kg when the base polymer is polyester and the polyolefin and/or polyester may include recycled material.
• a method of making a pallet comprising a deck (12), a picture frame (30) spaced below the deck and interconnecting blocks (24,26,28) extending between the deck and the picture frame, said method comprising: melting a thermoplastic material; combining the thermoplastic material with reinforcing fibres; and moulding the pallet by injecting the thermoplastic material into a mould cavity; wherein the pallet is a unitary moulding and is made by injection moulding in a single step.
• thermoplastic material reinforced with fibres may preferably be injected into the mould cavity through a single injection point and the mould cavity may be closed before the thermoplastic material with reinforcing fibres is injected into said mould cavity.
• the method may include compounding the thermoplastic material and fibres and leading the compounded material to an injection unit for injecting it directly into the mould cavity of the injection unit, without a pelletising step.
• the step of compounding the thermoplastic material and fibres may preferably be continuous and additives may be added to the thermoplastic material in the compounder.
• the method may include compatiblising the thermoplastic material by adding a compatibliser, adding impact properties to the pallet by adding additives to the thermoplastic material to improve its impact strength, chemically bonding the thermoplastic material to the fibres, and/or adding a molten polymer such as a drafted polymer or a functional polymer to the thermoplastic material, e.g. through a side arm feed extruder into a twin screw extruder in which the thermoplastic material is melted.
• a molten polymer such as a drafted polymer or a functional polymer
• Figure 1 is a top three dimensional view of a pallet in accordance with the present invention
• Figure 2 is a bottom view of the pallet of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 is a bottom three dimensional view of the pallet of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 4 is a diagrammatic representation of the pallet as shown in Figure 1 , but with ribbed surfaces shown as solid surfaces;
• Figure 5 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the pallet of Figure 1 , showing hidden detail;
• Figure 6 is side view of the pallet of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 7 is a sectional end view of the pallet of Figure 1 , taken at VII-VII;
• Figure 8 is a detail sectional view of a plugged aperture in the deck of the pallet of Figure 7;
• Figure 9 is a detail sectional view of a tag cavity of the pallet of Figure 7; and Figure 10 is a detail view of a central interconnecting block of the pallet of Figure 1.
• PET PET
• the PET from which such bottles are made is re-used a number of times in order to minimize the use of costly virgin material for everyday production.
• PET has a number of potential disadvantages that makes buying recycled PET unpopular with converters making structural components.
• PET is hygroscopic; with the result that the recycled PET flakes need to be dried at the formulation stage before it is fed to a compounder or inside the compounder, to moisture levels below 50 ppm and needs to be dried again before injection moulding the compounded pellet.
• a thorough knowledge of the materials is required.
• PET is also prone to discolouring and can become yellow upon oxidation, especially if it is exposed to atmospheric oxygen in its molten state.
• thermoplastic material for manufacturing pallets
• the PET articles that are obtained from the beverage industry, as set out above are taken in their whole condition, including bottle caps, ink directly printed on the bottle and/ or paper labels, tamper-evident skirts, and the like and are granulated and mixed, without sorting, filtering, washing, or the like.
• the granules are fed, preferably with polyolefins into a continuous compounder, preferably a twin screw compounder and are combined with additives such as impact modifiers, compatibilisers, flame retardants, etc. while being compounded.
• polyesters in the form of a combination of PET and polyolefins
• other polyesters can be combined with polyolefins or instead of using a blend of polyesters and polyolefins
• the polyesters can be omitted.
• the material used in each case can be virgin material or can be recycled material and the advantages described herein in relation to PET bottles, applies equally to other products made from polyesters and/or polyolefins.
• blends of polyolefins and/or blends of polyesters it is possible to use a single polyolefin or a single polyester.
• PET in the example described below, but this is merely a non-limiting example, which applies equally to any suitable combination of polyester(s) and/or polyolefin(s).
• PET in the manufacture of structural components in the form of pallets with dimensions that are much larger than the diameters of textile yarns and the like, means that there is no need for the PET to be filtered and consequently no need for the ink printed parts of PET bottles to be separated or discarded. Accordingly, whole PET bottles can be used as a source of material for pallet manufacture and the PET bottles can be granulated or flaked, can be fed directly into the compounder and from there directly into a thermoplastic product, without the need to go through any screen changer/filter.
• Glass fibres are fed to the compounder, preferably downstream of the screws to limit fibre breakage in the high shear environment of the screws.
• the molten PET and fibres thus form a composite material in which the PET is the matrix.
• the glass is preferably bonded to the PET matrix by mechanical bonding, but the bond is enhanced by the working of coupling agents applied or grafted to the fibres, which cause the matrix to bond chemically to the fibres.
• the glass fibres are fed into the compounder as continuous ravings or as chopped strands and can have various or the same lengths.
• the average length of the glass fibres is substantially longer than 10 mm and the glass fibre content of the composition is between 15% and 30%. This percentage could be increased to 30% to 45% if the polymer matrix is comprised primarily of a polyolefin, such as HDPE.
• PET is largely overcome in the method of the present invention by feeding the composite material prepared in the compounder directly to a mould for making a pallet by injection moulding.
• This does not mean that there are no holding or metering cavities or accumulators, but by "directly” is meant without any intermediate process steps that are not related to the feeding of the composition to the mould, i.e. the polymer is kept in the molten state and is not pelletised.
• This direct process is also referred to herein as "moulding in a single step” and has a number of advantages including the prevention of polymer degradation, moisture accumulation, savings in energy requirements (since the material does not have to be melted again), retention of fibre length, etc.
• the mould is already closed when the composition is fed into the mould cavity via a single injection point with a large diameter, preferably of the order of 50mm to
• the injection point is preferably at a central point on a deck of the pallet and is aligned with a central interconnecting block of the pallet. This assists in rapid distribution of the molten composition in the mould even at low injection pressures. Further, the use of a single injection point prevents the formation of weld lines, which are usually formed in traditionally injection moulded plastic pallets where material fed into a mould from multiple injection points, meet.
• the pallet 10 is a unitary moulding that is injection moulded from the composite material described above and comprises of a large number of interconnected thin walls or ribs 20 defining apertures or recesses 22 between them, rather than a solid construction. This assists in keeping the weight of the pallet 10 to a minimum and thus to save in material costs and to make the pallet more economical to operate, while retaining its strength.
• the pallet 10 as shown in Figure 3 is shown as a solid pallet in Figure 4, as it would hypothetically appear if the recesses 22 between ribs 20 were filled.
• each of the ribs 20 is less than 27 mm, with the result that the pallet 10 acts very similarly in many respects, as it would have if it had been solid as shown in Figure 4 - e.g. the narrow spacing between adjacent ribs 20 ensures that pressure is distributed along the underside of the pallet 10 when it rests on a supporting surface, which is discussed in more depth below.
• the pallet 10 has a generally planar upper deck 12 with a number of apertures 14 for weight reduction and the pallet extends continuously downwardly from the deck at nine locations via interconnecting blocks or feet.
• the interconnecting blocks include four corner blocks 24, a central block 26 and four mid-side blocks 28, midway between each pair of corners.
• the pallet includes a cruciform or picture frame 30 comprising of beams 18 that extend between adjacent interconnecting blocks along the periphery of the pallet's underside and across its underside, between two opposing mid-side blocks 28 and the central block 26.
• each beam 18 extending around the lower periphery of the pallet 10 is tapered, to have a thickness at its outside edge (i.e. at the periphery) of about 9 to 12 mm and a thickness at its inside edge of about 12 to 20 mm.
• the asymmetrical or tapered profile of the beams 18 has the result that it is much thinner at the entry point where the forks of a fork lift enters the pallet, while being thicker at the exit where the forks leave the picture frame 30.
• the thin profile of the beams 18 at the entry point allow the forks to enter the pallet with ease, while the thick exit from the picture frame 30 (i.e.
• Each of the beams 18 has a width that exceeds l OOmm and similarly, parts of the deck 12 that extend between the areas of apertures 14 (i.e. the parts that appear solid from above) form beams 32 in the deck that also have widths that exceed 100mm.
• the width of the beams 18,32 provide structural strength and load distribution to the pallet 10, which is enhanced by the ribs 20 on the underside of each beam.
• the ribs 20 in the upper beams 32 are chamfered around the periphery of the pallet 10 and this chamfer performs the same function as the tapered profile of the lower beams 18 as described above.
• the combined bottom area of the picture frame 30, i.e. including the undersides of the lower beams 18 and the interconnecting blocks 24,26,28 comprises more than 55% of the area of the pallet 10. This, together with the functioning of the narrow spacing of the ribs 20, allows for a very wide area of load distribution if the pallet (and any load it may carry) is supported on a surface below.
• the larger area means that loading pressures are kept low and this is particularly important when loaded pallets are stacked on top of one another and the loaded goods on a lower pallet has to bear the weight of an upper pallet and its load, via the interface of the upper pallet's picture frame on the lower pallet's load.
• the pallet 10 is made by injecting the polymer and fibre material into the mould cavity via a single, large injection point.
• the injection point 16 of the pallet 10 is in the middle of the deck 12 and is aligned with the central interconnecting block 26, to assist in rapid distribution of the molten composition in the mould.
• the distribution of the molten composition is further enhanced by a cylindrical passage in the mould cavity, inside the central interconnecting block 26, as well as the ribs 20 throughout the pallet 10.
• the central interconnecting block 26 is tapered on all sides and material that solidifies in the cylindrical passage inside the interconnecting block, form a pipe structure 34, which together with the ribs 20 give the block substantial structural strength.
• the result of the tapered shape of the central interconnecting block 26 is that prongs of a fork lift that inadvertently hit the block are deflected and the structural strength of the block ensures that it is resilient enough not to be damaged easily by the fork prongs and recoils after impact.
• some of the apertures in the deck 12 are round and are can receive plugs 36 of different materials that are preferably generally flush with the deck, e.g. non-slip materials to prevent loads from slipping on the deck or materials of distinctive colours that can assist in identifying different pallets.
• the pallet 10 defines four cylindrical cavities 38, one in each of the four corner interconnecting blocks 24 and each cavity has an opening in the deck 12 that can be plugged, preferably in a watertight manner.
• the cavities 38 are intended to carry identification tags such as RFID tags that can be used to identify the pallets, but are suited to carry any other identifying equipment, e.g. identification or tracking technologies that may still be developed.
• special plugs 40 are used that extend into the cavities 38 and that are configured to seal the cavities watertight with the aid of O-rings and to carry the RFID tags.
• the preferred configuration of the cavities 38 in which the RFID tags are carried without permanent fixture to the pallet 10 allows them to be replaced or supplemented in future with other tracking/identifying equipment.
• the installation of the RFID tags in the corner interconnecting blocks 26 ensures that they are surrounded by a strong structure, from where they are not easily removed if the pallet is damaged, e.g. during rough handling of the pallet 10.
• the pallet 10 can be a light, medium or heavy duty pallet and has a weight of less than 30kg. In fact the weight of the pallet 10 is less than 25 kg and in embodiments where the polymer comprises mostly of polyolefin, the weight of the pallet can be less than 20kg.
• the low mass of the pallet 10 has advantages of low material cost, but in addition, it allows more than one of the pallets to be injection moulded from one extruder, thus increasing production efficiency.
• the pallet 10 has a height that is less than that of any other pallet presently on the market by about 20 %, despite the fact that the pallet 10 has the same structural strength as that of the higher conventional pallets.
• thermoplastic material of the pallet 10 has a flexural modulus in excess of 5000 MPa, a tensile strength at yield of at least 60 MPa and a notched Izod impact strength at room temperature in excess of 200 J/m.
• the cost of the pallet 10 can compete favourably with the cost of wooden pallets, especially if it is borne in mind that the life cycle of the pallet 10 is expected to be markedly longer than that of wooden pallets and the pallet 10 will not need any maintenance, as it will simply be used until it is no longer serviceable, at which time it will be granulated in the same way as the PET bottles, for use in the manufacture of new pallets 10.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Pallets (AREA)
• Injection Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)

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• 2008
  • 2008-07-14 WO PCT/IB2008/052827 patent/WO2009007942A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2008-07-14 US US12/668,785 patent/US20100288169A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2008-07-14 EP EP08776570A patent/EP2167392A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2008-07-14 CN CN200880024128A patent/CN101765546A/zh active Pending
  • 2008-07-14 JP JP2010515654A patent/JP2010533107A/ja active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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